Since the opening of the Pryor Learning Commons (PLC) in fall 2013, the building has become a cornerstone of daily life for William Jewell College students. While the coffee shop, communal spaces, study rooms, and ample outlets make the PLC one of the buildings most frequented by students on campus, organizations have also recognized the power of the PLC, but for advertising.
The PLC is a paperless building and groups have been dependent on flyers to get their message to the student body in past years. In order to clarify standards for advertising, new guidelines have been unveiled by The Office of Student Life. Consistent with past rules, all flyers must be approved and stamped by Student Life. Paper advertisements are allowed in the residence halls, with resident director permission, Jewell Hall, Marston Hall, White Science Center and the Yates-Gill College Union. As of fall 2014 in the Yates-Gill College Union, flyers are limited to the bulletin boards in the stairwells and next to The Cardinal Cage. Off-campus groups and companies are only permitted to hang flyers on the bulletin board above the computer monitors in the White Atrium. Flyers are not permitted to be posted on the columns or the doors. Another option for organizations is for them to staff a table in the Yates-Gill College Union. Any college recognized student organization can request a table. In addition, student organizations are permitted to draw with chalk on the sidewalks and bricks, but not on buildings or other structures.
The Pryor Learning Commons,on the other hand,is completely paperless. Sliding flyers under the Quad level glass tables is not permitted. Students are encouraged to use the “Quad Chalker,” the Twitter feed above @The Beak that can be accessed by employing the hashtag “jewellplc.” Tweets are archived, but are not censored before being posted. Another avenue for paperless advertising in the PLC is to file a publicity request through the online form that can be found on Jewell Central.
Some student organizations are concerned about their visibility on campus. Simone Stewart, junior, is the corresponding secretary for Black Student Association. Stewart is the head of the organization’s public relations unit and runs its social media accounts, including Facebook and Twitter.
“We are looking to advertise not only to Jewell’s black students as the Black Student Association, but to advertise all over Jewell, letting students know of any background that they are welcome at any BSA events,” Steward said. “We would really like to bring more people into the fold and have more people experience what we do as an organization and we think advertising plays a big role in what people know.”
Black Student Association currently takes advantage of paperless advertising options in the PLC such as Twitter reminders about their meetings and running a promotional video for their yearly event, “Love and Soul.”
“I completely understand the the paperless initiative and I think its a really good idea, but I would allow just a little bit [of paper advertising],” Stewart said. “I know its a hassle for the PLC to have to deal with flyers under the tables, but I also know that students who sit there see those things.”
In order to address student concerns about visibility and keep the PLC a paperless structure, William Jewell Student Senate is pursuing initiatives to facilitate paperless student advertising. According to President Harry Schwartz, Student Senate is looking into adopting one of the monitors above @The Beak to roll student organization advertisements 24 hours a day. The digital display aims to reduce printing costs, ensure the PLC remains paperless and give student organizations an paperless outlet for advertising. Student Senate is also looking into adding a “Today At Jewell” tab on the on the entrance and quad level touchscreen kiosks, which would inform students and guests about events on campus. Further suggestions for paperless advertising can be directed toward Student Senate.